Afternoon/Evening Exercise May Lower Blood Pressure More Than Morning Exercise: Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effect of timing of exercise on blood pressure and glucose outcomes in healthy, overweight or obese adults, including those with type 2 diabetes mellitus or treated/pre-hypertension. The analysis included 625 participants across multiple studies comparing afternoon/evening exercise (PmEx) to morning exercise (AmEx).

Key findings showed that PmEx resulted in significantly lower mean arterial blood pressure at two time points (SMD = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.88; and SMD = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.65). Systolic blood pressure was also significantly lower with PmEx at two time points (SMD = 0.32 for both, based on 9 studies for one comparison). Diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower at one time point (SMD = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.63). In participants with type 2 diabetes and/or overweight/obesity, blood glucose levels were significantly lower with PmEx (SMD = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.83).

The authors did not report limitations, adverse events, or practice relevance. The small sample size and lack of safety data limit the strength of conclusions. These findings suggest a potential benefit of afternoon/evening exercise timing, but further research is needed before clinical recommendations can be made.